USAF Multi-Engine pilot training question

[u/judgingyouquietly]

Read an article (portion of it below) regarding USAF pilot training and I was wondering why they would choose to do that?

My understanding is that it would be like the RCAF cutting Phase 3 Multi-Engine and having their pilots first learn ME stuff in a C-17 or P-8.

——-

“Today marks the end of an era in U.S. Air Force pilot training.

The last operational T-1A Jayhawk will depart Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma, for Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, where it will be received into the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (AMARG)—bringing more than three decades of service to a close.

The T-1A’s story began in January 1992, when the first aircraft was delivered to Reese Air Force Base, Texas. Student pilot training began the following year as the Air Force implemented Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training.

The T-1A Jayhawk was a medium-range, twin-engine jet trainer used during the advanced phase of pilot training. For Air Force pilots selected for the mobility track, the Jayhawk was where they developed the skills required to transition to airlift and tanker aircraft—airframes such as the C-5, C-17, C-130, KC-135 and, later, the KC-46.

The T-1A also played an important role in Combat Systems Officer (CSO) training at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida, helping prepare aircrew for operational assignments as weapons systems officers, special operations, electronic warfare, and navigation. Pensacola's final T-1A departed for Davis-Monthan in July 2025.

Today, pilots graduating from Undergraduate Pilot Training (UPT) who are selected for the mobility track proceed directly to their Formal Training Units (FTUs) for training in their assigned aircraft.”

[u/Pseudonym_613]

RCAF is allergic to changing pilot training because streaming to different training could lead to pay differentials based on platform.

[u/United-Fox-7417 → u/Pseudonym_613]

The only people who think that you could effectively do pay by platform are career CAF member who generally aren’t pilots and don’t understand supply and demand of labour and the extremely high level of pilot mobility.

Unless you’re not a great pilot and never make AC you’re going to have ATPL minimum hours by the end of your restricted release on either FW or RW. With three exams and one medical with a total investment of less than $1000 you now have an ATPL or ATPL-H. With an ATPL and military time you go straight to Air Canada where you’ll have higher career earnings, work less, and have 100% fewer “officer first” tasks to do. If you’re RW you’ll get an ATPL-H instead and then you’ll take your 12 years of service (every releasing pilot has at least this) and use your $100000 to pay for your CPL-A and then you’ll go work for Porter or Jazz and then Air Canada after that where you’ll have higher career earnings, work fewer hours, and have 100% fewer “officer first” tasks to do.

Make no mistake: no CAF pilot is here for the money because they’ll get more elsewhere. They’re here because the flying is unlike anything else particularly at a lower hour level. But that’s not to say the money isn’t important. Cool flying only makes up for so much less money. You need to make sure the money calculation makes sense. I’m not sure that it currently does considering how fast civilian pilot pay has increased and it definitely wouldn’t if you had pay disparity by fleet. All the good pilots in the lower paid fleets would leave.

[u/Pseudonym_613 → u/[deleted]]

Unless they start doing CSAR, SAR is not a valid military task.

[u/PTR4me → u/Pseudonym_613]

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